Container closure



Oct. 4, 1966 A. REMPT 3,276,617

CONTAINER CLOSURE Filed Sept. 2, 1964 INvE N'roR Lou RENS Assea REMPT United States Patent 3,276,617 CONTAINER CLOSURE Lourens A. Rempt, Driehuis, Netherlands, assignor to Van Leer Industries Limited, Birmingham, England, a British limited-liability company Filed Sept. 2, 1964, Ser. No. 393,835 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Sept. 4, 1963, 34,927 63 9 Claims. (Cl. 220-39) The present invention relates to container closures and more particularly to threaded closures for light gauge metal containers.

The field of threaded closures is highly developed; however, most closures for light metal containers have involved use of a simple threaded neck and threaded cap as commonly employed, for example, on a gasoline can. Unfortunately, closures of this kind and various modifications thereof are not reliable and may permit the escape of gas or liquid. The threads are easily deformed and tend to weaken the neck of the container. Moreover, reliance must be placed upon screwing the cap s-ufficiently tight so that axial seal-ing pressure is developed about the entire periphery of the gasket usually used, with the result that the cap, in an effort to insure sealing contact, is over-tightened, which not only runs the risk of damaging the light gauge metal but makes removal diflicult. This encourages use of improper tools, such as pipe wrenches or the like, to effect removal. Because of the large amount of area in engagement, only a drop or two of the contained material, drying on the thread, may be sufficient to cement the cap in closed position. This is particularly true where the container is re-used or.where the contents are removed only a little at a time. Then, too, it is difiicult to modify a container closure so that it is tamperproof and pilferproof permitting use of a sealing wire or cap seal.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a closure intended for use on light gauge metal containers which is reliable and which produces a positive liquid and gas tight seal. It is a related object to provideya closure which secures a positive seal without use of excessive torque and which insures that the desired forces are developed in the gasket simply as a result of turning the closure plug with a light torque until a positive and easily detected bottoming occurs. Indeed, any attempt to rotate the plug beyond this point of bottoming has no effect upon the seal and is incapable of increasing the forces developed in the gasket. As a consequence, overstressing the gasket with risk of cutting or extruding the gasket material is positively prevented.

It is another object to provide a threaded closure of the above type in which the closing torque is efficiently utilized in drawing the parts together and with a minimum amount of energy being wasted in friction. It is a related object'to provide a closure which is of the threaded type but which avoids the large area, small clearance and susceptibility to cementing which characterizes the usual designs. On the contrary, contact at the threads occurs only at localized regions equally spaced about the periphery, permitting easy break away of any ma terial which may be collected or dried on as a result of repeated opening and closing of the container.

It is a more specific object to provide, in a threaded closure, a neck having a cylindrical inner surface with an interrupted thread in the form of spaced embossments within the base portion but preserving the upper portion as a smoothly continuous internal sealing surface for radial seating of an external gasket on the threaded plug. It is an object of the invention, therefore, to-produce a closure which is inherently strong, simple, and easily and cheaply made.

3,276,617 Patented Oct. 4, 1966 "ice It is yet another object to produce a closure which may take a number of specific forms depending upon the intended usage, with the neck including, for example, a reinforcing ring which may, in addition to its reinforcing function, serve as a label ring or, with addition of holes for threading, a sealing wire, as a locking means to prevent pilfering. The construction is well suited to the further addition of a cap seal to enhance the pilferproof feature, which cap seal must be destroyed before the plug may be unscrewed.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the attached detailed description and upon reference to the drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical cross sectional view showing a container neck assembly constructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 1a is an enlarged fragment of the neck assembly of FIG. 1 showing a threaded plug fitted therein.

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of a plug intended for use in the neck assembly.

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of a seal cap which may be used to enchance the tamperproof and pilferproof aspects of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of half of the structure shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a vertical cross sectional view of a modified neck construction.

FIG. 6 is a vertical cross sectional view of a still further modification.

FIG. 7 shows a modification of the plug of FIG. 2.

, While the invention has been described in connection with certain preferred embodiments, it will be understood by one skilled in the art that the invention is not to be limited to the particular embodiment shown but on the contrary it is intended to cover the various alternative and equivalent constructions included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Referring now to the =drawing, there is disclosed in FIG. 1 a container wall 11 having a shallow recess defining a land within which is fitted a neck 12 formed of light gauge metal. The neck 12 has a cylindrical base portion terminating in a radially extending flange 13 which seats in the recess 14 formed in the container wall. The neck member 12 also includes a cylindrical lip portion 25 terminating in an outward curl or bead 17. The collar 16 of the container wall is, as shown, held captive between the curl 17 and flange 13.

A gas and liquid tight seal between the neck member 12 and the container wall is assured by use of a gasket 15 of sealing material interposed between the flange 13 and collar 16.

For the purpose of engaging the neck 12, a plug 19 is provided as shown in FIG. 2 having a shank portion 21 carrying a coarse thread 22 and a radially extend-ing flange 20. Arranged adjacent the flange is an annular gasket 24 which is preferably seated in a groove 23.

In carrying out the present invention the base portion and lip portion of the neck 12 present a smoothly continuous inner surface having a diameter which is slightly smaller than the normal diameter of the gasket 24 and an interrupted thread is provided in the base portion in the form of segmented embossments 18 which are preferably relatively short and angularly spaced from one another defining a helical path having the same pitch as the thread on the plug. The outer diameter of the thread 22 preferably has a smooth sliding fit with respect to the inner surface of the neck. Thus as the plug 19 is screwed into the neck engagement between the thread and the embossments 18 causes the gasket 24 to be pulled into the neck, with the smoothly rounded curvature of the curl 17 serving to guide the outer surface of the gasket and, simultaneously, to squeeze it inwardly so that the gasket is accommodated within the neck exerting a radially outward sealing pressure. As the plug is screwed home, the flange 20 thereon bottoms on the curl 17 of the neck as shown in FIG. 1a thereby signalling to the operator that the plug is fully seated in home position. Thus there is no necessity for applying excessive torque which must sometimes be resorted to where a closure member or cap has a gasket which bears axially against the neck on the container.

In accordance with one of the features of the preferred construction, a reinforcing ring 31 is provided snugly surrounding the collar 16 and having a pair of diametrically arranged lugs 32 which are perforated, as shown in FIG. 4, for reception of a sealing wire to prevent unauthorized unscrewing of the plug and making the construction tamperproof as well as pilferproof. It is apparent from FIG. 1 that both the upstanding collar 16 on the container and the ring 31 which is axially coextensive therewith are held captive by the flange 13 and curl 17 forming a three-ply construction which is inherently strong and rigid. To prevent rotation of the neck member 12 with respect to the container, the recess 14 and the periphery of the flange 13 may be of mating polygonal shape as shown by the dotted outline in FIG. 4.

To further augment the pilferproof nature of the construction shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, and in assembled relation in FIG. 1a, the assembly may be topped by a cap seal 26 (FIG. 3) formed of light gauge metal having a top wall 27, a skirt 28, and a circle of internal packing 29. In use the cap seal is simply telescoped over the assembly previously described following which the skirt portion 28 may be deformed r spun radially inward thus gripping the bead or curl 17 at the outer end of the neck 12. The cap seal 26 may, if desired, be provided with radially extending lugs 30 which mate with the lugs 32 formed on the reinforcing ring 31 and which may be similarly apertured for passage of a sealing wire. Thus to get at the contents of the container the cap seal 26 must be unwired, if wire is used, and torn off with a pair of pliers or the like, being destroyed in the process and clearly indicating that tampering has taken place. Following this, the plug .19 is simply unscrewed which backs out the gasket 24 breaking the seal and permitting the contents to be poured or siphoned from the container.

It will be noted that since the embossments 18 are relatively short providing concentrated regions of contact with the thread 22, any material which may tend to collect upon, or dry upon the thread or embossments, for example, where the contents are repeatedly or gradually used, is readily broken free by twisting of the plug. As the plug is unscrewed the captive rubber gasket breaks clear of the sealing surface in spite of any material which may have been deposited and dried thereon. Thus the arrangement is distinguished from the usual threaded plug, or cap, and threaded neck providing extensive area and close clearances and in which only a small amount of deposited material may be effective to cement the closure in closed position. Moreover, the gasket 24 is preferably square in cross section so that as it is drawn into place within the inner surface of the neck it applies a shearing action to any material which may have collected along the inner surface as a result of pouring or the like.

It is one of the features of the present construction that the neck member 12a having a smoothly continuous inner surface is inherently strong with only a minor portion of the area being interrupted or deformed by the embossments 18a. Thus, if desired, the neck 12a may be formed integrally in the container wall 11 as shown in FIG. 5.

The seal which is effected by screwing the plug 19 into the neck of FIG. is equal to that obtained in the embodiment of FIG. 1 described above and the strength and rigidity, being enhanced by the curl 17, while not as great as that in the embodiment of FIG. 1, is, nevertheless, adequate for most light duty purposes and greatly exceeds the strengths and durability of the continuously threaded necks usually provided on thin wall containers.

Where it is desired to reinforce and somewhat rigidify the neck shown in FIG. 5 while nevertheless providing for an integrally formed neck, a ring 31b, either with or without lugs 32b, and having a curl along its upper edge, may be telescoped over the neck 12 as shown in FIG. 6 and held in place by a partial bead 17b.

If it is desired to increase the bearing area between the plug and smoothly continuous inner surface of the neck, a modified plug may be employed as shown at 19c in FIG. 7. Such plug differs from that shown in FIG. 2 in that an annular land or bearing ring is provided immediately below and adjacent the gasket 24c having an outer diameter which substantially corresponds to the diameter of the inner surface of the neck. The diameter of the land 33c may in fact be such as to provide a direct met-al-to-metal seal with respect to the material of which the neck is made for the purpose of insuring exact centering of the plug within the opening and even engagement of the gasket and augmenting the sealing effect of the gasket 24c, thereby to provide the highest degree of reliability.

It is to be noted in the present construction that once the gasket 24 (or that shown at 240) has been crowded into the neck, exerting radial sealing pressure thereon, and followed by bottoming of the flange 20 the seal is complete and nothing further is to be gained by applying excessive torque to the closure plug. Thus, relatively light forces suffice to remove the plug and there is no need to resort to unusual or destructive tools to open the container. Because of the limited area in contact at the thread, thread friction, and the possibility of cementing discussed above, are reduced to a minimum. It is found that although the neck is made of light gauge metal the use of interrupted threads preserves its integrity and there is none of the risk of weakening or tearing of the metal encountered when a continuous thread, and particularly an abrupt thread, is formed in a thin metal wall.

The closure is not only highly elfective and inherently strong, notwithstanding the light gauge metal of which it is constructed, but it is simply and cheaply made in all of the versions disclosed above, with the pilferproof feature being easily added, if desired, at minor expense.

It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the reinforcing ring 31, in lieu of lugs 32 may be provided with a radially extending flange providing a convenient place for identifying the container contents. The particular configuration of the coarse thread on the plug is a matter of choice, buttress threads being preferred and the mating thread and embossments may be either single or multiple, with correspondingly increased pitch.

I claim as my invention:

1. A container closure for a light gauge container wall comprising, in combination, a light gauge neck secured to the container wall having a cylindrical lip portion terminating in an outward curl and a cylindrical base portion in axial alignment with said cylindrical lip portion and forming a continuous surface therewith, said base portion having an interrupted thread in the form of segmented radially inwardly extending embossments defining a helical path and angularly spaced from one another, a threaded plug including a shank portion having coarse threads formed thereon .and a radially outwardly extending flange at its outer end, a resilient annular gasket recessed in the plug along the inside edge of the flange and having a diameter which slightly exceeds the inner diameter of the lip portion so that as the plug is screwed into the segmented embossments the gasket is drawn axially into the lip portion in radial sealing engagement therewith accompanied finally by bottoming of the flange with respect to the curl on the lip portion.

2. A container closure as claimed in claim 1 in which the outward curl on the lip portion forms a rounded surface thereon so that the gasket is squeezed radially inward by the lip as it is drawn axially inward by the threads.

3. A container closure as claimed in claim 1 in which the neck is surrounded by a reinforcing ring and in which the lip portion terminates in an outward curl for retaining the reinforcing ring and for providing a smoothly rounded lip so that the gasket is squeezed radially inward as it is drawn axially inward by the threads.

4. A container closure for a light gauge container comprising, in combination, a circular land on the container wall defining an opening, a light gauge neck having a cylindrical base portion terminating in a radial flange seated on said land and a cylindrical lip portion terminating in an outward curl, the lip portion and the base portion presenting a smoothly continuous inner surface, a threaded plug including a shank portion having coarse threads formed thereon and a radially outwardly extending flange at its outer end, a resilient annular gasket recessed in the plug along the inside edge of the flange and having a normal diameter which slightly exceeds the diameter of the smoothly continuous inner surface, the base portion of the neck having an interrupted thread in the form of angularly spaced radially inwardly extending segmented embossments defining a helical path so that when the plug is screwed into the segmented embossments the gasket is crowded into the lip portion in radial sealing engagement therewith accompanied finally by bottoming of the flange with respect to the curl on the lip portion.

5. A container closure as claimed in claim 4 in which the neck is surrounded by a reinforcing ring held captive between the curl and the radially extending flange of the cylindrical base portion.

6. A container closure for a light gauge container wall comprising, in combination, a collar integral with the wall and defining an opening, alight gauge neck telescoped inside of said collar, said neck having a cylindrical base portion terminating in a radially outwardly extending flange and a cylindrical lip portion terminating in a curl, the collar being held captive between said flange and said curl, the lip portion and the base portion presenting a smoothly continuous inner surface, a threaded plug including a shank portion having coarse threads formed thereon and a radially outwardly extending flange at its outer end as Well as a resilient annular gasket recessed along the inside edge of the flange, said gasket having an outer surface of a normal diameter which slightly exceeds the inner diameter of the smoothly continuous inner surface, the base portion of the neck having an interrupted thread in the form of angularly spaced segmented radially inwardly extending embossments defining a helical path for screwing in of the plug to produce sealing engagement between the outer surface of the gasket and the smoothly continuous inner surface of the neck.

7. A container closure as claimed in claim 6 in which the said upstanding collar is surrounding by a reinforcing ring having perforated lugs diametrically arranged thereon for threading of a seal-ing wire therethrough.

8. A container closure for a light gauge container wall comprising, in combination, a light gauge neck secured to the container wall having a cylindrical lip portion and a cylindrical base portion in axial alignment with said cylindrical lip portion and forming a continuous surface therewith, said base portion having an interrupted thread in the form of segmented radially inwardly extending embossments defining a helical path and angularly spaced from one another, a threaded plug including a shank portion having coarse threads formed thereon and a radially outwardly extending flange at its outer end, a resilient annular gasket recessed in the plug along the inside edge of the flange and having a diameter which slightly exceeds the inner diameter of the lipport-ion so that as the plug is screwed into the segmented embossments the gasket is drawn axially into the lip portion in radial sealing engagement therewith.

9. A container closure for a light gauge container wall comprising, in combination, a light gauge neck secured to the container wall, said neck having a base portion presenting a smoothly continuous cylindrical inner surface and a lip portion merging smoothly therewith terminating in an outward curl, a threaded plug including a shank portion having coarse threads formed thereon and a radially outwardly extending flange at its outer end, said plug having above the level of the threads a recessed gasket of resilient material, said gasket having an outer surface of a norm-a1 diameter which slightly exceeds the diameter of the cylindrical inner surface of the neck, the base portion of the neck having an interrupted thread spaced downwardly from the lip in the form of angularly spaced segmented radially inwardly extending embossments defining a helical path for screwing in of the plug, said plug further having a cylindrical land adjacent the gasket and dimensioned to produce metalto-meta1 engagement with the cylindrical inner surface of the neck and insuring exact centering of the plug within the neck and even engagement of the gasket as the plug is screwed in.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,152,919 4/ 1939 Rheern.

2,241,381 5/ 1941 Hothersall 220-39 2,266,455 12/ 1941 Wallstrorn.

2,906,429 9/ 1959 Marchyn 220-39 3,122,261 2/ 1964 Parish et a1. 22039 X 3,149,744- 9/1964 Pentesco 220-39 FOREIGN PATENTS 45,855 6/ 1939 Netherlands.

THER-ON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

R. A. JENSEN, J. R. GARRETT, Assistant Examiners. 

1. A CONTAINER CLOSURE FOR A LIGHT GAUGE CONTAINER WALL COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A LIGHT GAUGE NECK SECURES TO THE CONTAINER WALL HAVING A CYLINDRICAL LIP PORION TERMINATING IN AN OUTWARD CURL AND A CYLINDRICAL BASE PORTION IN AXIAL ALIGNMENT WITH SAID CYLINDRICAL LIP PORTION AND FORMING A CONTINUOUS SURFACE THEREWITH, SAID BASE PORTION HAVING AN INTERRUPTED THREAD IN THE FORM OF SEGMENTED RADIALLY INWARDLY EXTENDING EMBOSSMENTS DEFINING A HELICAL PATH AND ANGULARLY SPACES FROM ONE ANOTHER, A THREADED PLUG INCLUDING A SHANK PORTION HAVING COARSE THREADS FORMED THEREON AND A RADIALLY OUTWADLY EXTENDING FLANGE AT ITS OUTER END, A RESILIENT ANNULAR GASKET RECESSES IN THE PLUG ALONG THE INSIDE EDGE OF THE FLANGE AND HAVING A DIAMETER WHICH SLIGHTLY EXCEEDS THE INNER DIAMETER OF THE LIP PORTION SO THAT AS THE PLUG IS SCREWED INTO THE SEGMENTED EMBOSSMENTS THE GASKETS IS DRAWN AXIALLY INTO THE LIP PORTION IN RADIAL SEALING ENGAGEMENT THERWITH ACCOMPANIED FINALLY BY BOTTOMING OF THE FLANGE WITH RESPECT TO THE CURL ON THE LIP PORTION. 